IOC Certificate in Drugs in Sport

Course Aim

This IOC professional certificate course will train and equip healthcare professionals and those working in the anti-doping field to advise and support athletes to make the best choices regarding effective clinical drug options while ensuring compliance with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), sports federations, and national anti-doping agencies. It will also empower them to become educators and supporters to athletes and other athlete support personnel on anti-doping and clean sport matters, including the safe and informed selection of medications and supplements.

The course will introduce healthcare providers and anti-doping professionals to the key concepts relating to drug use and misuse in sport; how the problem is being tackled internationally through new research and surveillance; the role of healthcare providers in preventing doping in sport and how they can make a significant contribution at major sporting events and in the ongoing care of athletes. Current evidence-based clinical approaches to the prescription of medications and to supplement use in sports medicine will be addressed, with specific reference to recent relevant IOC consensus statements. The unique considerations relating to anti-doping for para-sports and athletes with impairments will be addressed specifically throughout the course.

Course Structure

The course will include 24 lectures that can be downloaded or watched online over a period of six months: each lecture lasts about 30-60 minutes, across the six module topics. Students will also be directed to a selection of mandatory and recommended reading from various reference sources. The official course reference text Drugs in Sport 7th edition (Routledge) will be provided to all students.

The first intake of students will begin their studies in September 2018.

Modules

1. Introduction to the use and misuse of drugs in sport

2. WADA, the Code and International Standards

3. Sports pharmacology and clinical use of medications in athletes

4. Protecting the health of the athlete and maintaining clean sport

5. Healthcare providers at major sporting events

6. New medicines and medical technologies and future implications in sport

Audience

Doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and physiotherapists, especially those working in a sport setting and those who administer, prescribe or advise on drugs and supplements

Graduates of existing IOC physiotherapy or IOC sports medicine diploma programs who require a more in-depth knowledge of anti-doping and drugs in sport

Major Games (including Olympic and Paralympic) Organising Committee medical and anti-doping workforce, including volunteer and management staff

Healthcare professionals working with athletes and sport teams

Anti-doping organisations’ workforce

Assessment & Fees

To successfully complete the program, students must complete an online examination at the end of the course and must submit a self-reflection log which records their learning experience.

The tuition fee for the program is GBP £1500, which includes all course materials. VAT is applicable for all UK based students.

Requirements for acceptance to the course

Students must hold a relevant undergraduate degree in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, sports science, or an allied health science. They must be eligible to practice in their profession, and, where appropriate, registered with their national healthcare regulatory agency. Individuals able to demonstrate professional experience of working in the anti-doping environment may also be considered for admission.

Lectures will be contributed by world-leading experts in the field, representing the best available expertise in the field. Faculty, in addition to the Course Directors and the Academic Advisory Board, who will all contribute lectures, include:

Prof Louis Phillipe Boulet (Canada), Université Laval

Dr Brian Hainline (USA), Indiana University School of Medicine; National Collegiate Athletic Association